Nick Tavares: Justin Verlander is a freak of nature

He winds up, steps, throws and repeats. He's a wonder of conditioning and a freak of nature. And he's likely to be the most exciting part of the World Series.

Nick Tavares

He winds up, steps, throws and repeats. He's a wonder of conditioning and a freak of nature. And he's likely to be the most exciting part of the World Series.

Playing a brand of baseball that's been seldom seen in the past 30 years, Detroit's Justin Verlander has had a tremendous run of success in his young career, and the Series is the only trophy missing from his mantle.

Despite being just 29 years old, the World Series is the only real gem missing from Verlander's treasure trove. As a 23-year-old rookie in 2006, Verlander struggled in his four postseason starts, going 0-2 in the World Series before the Cardinals won. In 2011, Verlander was often the victim of nature, having starts wiped out against the Yankees and Rangers by rain.

Of course, he was the 2011 Cy Young Award winner and MVP in the American League, and this season, he's been nearly as good. Ignoring the wins (which dipped from 24 to 17, and don't mean all that much anyway), he led his league in innings pitched (238.1), strike outs (239) ERA+ (160), batters faced (956) and, of course, complete games (6). He was second in ERA (2.40) and wins, if that's your thing.

Above all, he finishes what he starts. After his triumphant, complete-game victory over the Oakland A's to close out the ALDS, Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci declared Verlander to be the best closer in the game. Should there be any doubt about that? Verlander has built himself up to pitch in such a way that he's virtually impervious to pitch counts, and paces himself so that he can top 100 mph in velocity in the ninth inning.

Even with a six-run lead in that game, Verlander wouldn't leave the Tigers' shot at the American League pennant — or the fate of his shutout — in the hands of Detroit's notoriously leaky bullpen. It was tremendous, and it was barely a ripple above the waters of baseball's hardcore fans.

He was just as effective in his one start against the Yankees, who were, admittedly, the anemic cousins to Oakland's energetic attack. With Derek Jeter shelved by a broken ankle and Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher on the bench thanks to their near-spectacular lack of hitting, Verlander breezed through the New York lineup. Over 8.1 innings and 132 pitches, he struck out three and walked none before uncharacteristically giving the ball up to reliever Phil Coke. The 2-1 lead held up, and Detroit had New York in a 3-0 choke hold.

It's just who Verlander is. He's found tremendous success throwing a baseball for hours without showing any ill effects. He's Nolan Ryan, if Ryan never walked a batter.

Any fan with a mild interest in the game can see it when he pitches. He looks solid and effective in the early innings, settles into a groove by the middle, and by the eighth inning, he's topping 100 mph while he's setting down one frustrated batter after another. After it's all done, he's there in the dugout with a contented smile on his face, as if those last 140 pitches took nothing out of him.

Truly, it's not hard to envision Verlander pitching in any era. His six complete games this season might've been 25 in the late 1960s, a theoretical product of the old-school handling methods of managers of the time, living up to the reputation of pitching greats like Bob Gibson and Warren Spahn.

Both those pitchers could throw for days, and eventually had great runs in October that led to World Series glory. It's all that Verlander's missing so far in a career that has achieved grandeur in every other way.

Nick Tavares' column appears Sunday in the Standard-Times and at SouthCoastToday.com. He can be reached at nick@nicktavares.com.